Plan before the run
Scope, libraries and settings are recorded before the start. What is archived is fixed before the first file is copied.
Archiving for SharePoint Online
Smarter Archiving
Archive completed projects, with evidence per file and in your own Azure.
Smarter Archiving copies the files of completed SharePoint sites to Azure Storage in your own subscription, verifies every file with SHA-256 and only then cleans up SharePoint: delete the original, set a replacement link or make the site read-only. Every step is logged, every file stays findable.
- archived at a plant engineering company
- 127 site collections
- in its own Azure, with SHA-256 per file
- 1.5 TB
The problem
Completed projects take up storage you pay extra for
Project workspaces are rarely opened after the project ends, but never deleted. Over the years they fill the SharePoint quota, and additional storage in Microsoft 365 costs money every month.
Simply deleting is not an option: documents must stay findable, and nobody wants to explain why a file is missing. A backup does not help here. It protects for emergencies and frees no storage.
- Archive copy in your own Azure subscription, outside Microsoft 365
- Every file verified before anything is removed in SharePoint
- Replacement links keep the filing findable while storage is freed
Flow
From the site to a verifiable archive
Five steps that run the same way for every site. Nothing changes in SharePoint until the copy is fully verified.
- 1
Set up the site
You define which site is archived, which libraries belong to it and what happens to the originals afterwards.
Result
Archive rule per site - 2
Create the plan
Before the start, the service checks scope and permissions and records a fixed plan: which files, which libraries, which settings.
Result
Immutable plan - 3
Copy
The files go to Azure Storage in their original format, separated by site and run. A run survives restarts and resumes after an interruption.
Result
Original files in the archive - 4
Verify
For every file, the SHA-256 checksum from SharePoint and from the archive is compared and recorded in a manifest with size and time.
Result
Evidence per file - 5
Complete
Depending on the rule, the original stays, is deleted or is replaced by a link to the archive. Report and summary go to those responsible.
Result
Report and email
If a file has changed since the plan, it stays in SharePoint. If a result is unclear, the service reports “unknown” instead of success and can be rechecked specifically.
Building blocks
What Smarter Archiving provides
All building blocks run in production at the first customer. You decide per site which modes you use.
Archive in your own Azure
Three storage accounts in your subscription: for operation, for evidence and for the archive. No public access and no shared keys.
SHA-256 per file
Checksum from the source and from the stored archive, compared and recorded in the manifest. Archive files are only created, never overwritten.
Replacement links
A link to the archive takes the place of the file. It is checked before the original is deleted, and again against size and checksum when opened.
Delete or protect the original
Originals are only removed if they have not changed since the plan. Optionally, the site becomes read-only afterwards.
Browse the archive
In the web interface, authorised people find archived sites and files and download single files or whole folders as ZIP.
Reports and monitoring
Progress log per run, CSV exports, summary by email and alerts in Azure Monitor.
Events for your systems
Start, completion and failure as signed events, for example to set the project status in your project list to “archived”.
Evidence instead of “upload successful”
An uploaded blob does not prove an archive. Smarter Archiving calculates the checksum of the source file and reads back the stored file before it counts as archived. Only when every file of the plan is confirmed this way does the run count as successful.
- Manifest per file with path, size, time and SHA-256
- Report per site: expected and confirmed files, volume, integrity
- Progress log with phase, status and library
- Evidence can be rechecked at any time
Deleting steps only start once all files of the plan are confirmed.
Storage freed, filing kept
Anyone looking for a drawing from a completed project in three years finds it where it always was. Instead of the file, the library holds a link that opens it from the archive. The storage in SharePoint is free.
- Link with the original file name in the same library
- Link is checked before the original is deleted
- Size and checksum are compared again when opened
- Only authorised people receive the file
Start with “copy only”
The first sites run in “copy only” mode. Only after business acceptance are replacement links and deletion enabled for the installation.
The archive in daily use
Archived sites are listed in the Archive Workspace web interface: with search, status, number of files and size. From there, single files or whole folders can be downloaded.
- Search across archived sites and files
- Download single files or as ZIP
- Access through an app role of its own in Entra ID
- Every download is checked against the evidence
![Email “[Succeeded] SharePoint archiving” with completion, duration, sites, size, originals deleted and replacement links created; next to it signed lifecycle events for your systems](/images/smarter-archiving/en/completion-mail.png)
Summary and connection to your processes
After every run, those responsible receive a summary: how many sites were archived successfully, how much volume, what happened to the originals. Optionally, Smarter Archiving reports start, completion and failure as signed events to your systems.
- Summary by email to recipients of your choice
- CSV exports for evaluation and audit
- Signed events for start, completion and failure
- Alerts and workbook in Azure Monitor
Introduction
A product, set to your rules
Smarter Archiving is a finished product with fixed safety rules. What differs per customer are the rules per site and the connection to your processes.
Always included
- Plan before every run and SHA-256 per file
- Archive in storage accounts in your Azure subscription
- Resumes after interruptions without duplicate work
- Web interface with archive view, reports and download
- Releases with signed manifest and bill of materials
Set to your needs
- Which sites and libraries are archived
- Mode per site: copy only, delete original, replacement link, read-only
- Recipients of summaries and alerts
- Events to your project list or other systems
- Embedding in your project closure
Three routes after the verified copy
Selectable per site. Deleting modes are locked until they are enabled for the installation.
- Copy only
- The original stays unchanged. The route for getting started and for sites that should remain in SharePoint.
- Delete original
- After full verification the original is removed, only if it has not changed since the plan. Storage is freed.
- Replacement link
- A verified link to the archive replaces the file. Storage is freed, the filing stays findable.
Built-in tools or app?
When are Microsoft’s built-in tools enough?
Microsoft 365 provides retention, backup and a cheaper storage tier. Smarter Archiving starts where documents should leave Microsoft 365, verifiably and under your control.
The built-in tools are enough for this
- Statutory retention periods and deletion locks: Microsoft Purview.
- Recovery after errors or attacks: a backup such as Microsoft 365 Backup.
- Keep inactive sites at lower cost, but inside Microsoft 365: Microsoft 365 Archive.
This is what Smarter Archiving is built for
- Archive copy outside Microsoft 365, in your own Azure subscription
- SHA-256 evidence and manifest for every single file
- SharePoint storage freed, filing findable through verified replacement links
- Traceable per run: plan, report, summary
If the left column covers your case, you don’t need an app – you’ve already paid for the built-in tools. Smarter Archiving exists for everything on the right.
Approach
How we introduce Smarter Archiving
- 01
Deploy
Smarter Archiving is rolled out to your Azure subscription. Access to SharePoint is limited to the selected sites.
- 02
Pilot
A few completed sites in “copy only” mode. Reports and evidence show what was archived.
- 03
Acceptance
Business and IT check samples in the archive and the reports together.
- 04
Enablement
Only then are replacement links and deletion enabled for the installation.
- 05
Roll-out
Sites in small waves, with a summary after every run.
Technology
What is behind it
Smarter Archiving runs entirely in your Azure subscription. Data and evidence do not leave your environment.
- Azure Functions and Durable Task
- .NET 10 in the isolated model. Runs are stored durably and survive restarts.
- Access to selected sites only
- App-only with a certificate and the Sites.Selected permission. The web interface calls the service through a managed identity.
- Storage without keys
- Three storage accounts without shared keys, without public access and with TLS 1.2.
- Deployment as a template
- An ARM template creates the environment. An offer in the Azure Marketplace is in preparation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Smarter Archiving replace a backup?
No. A backup protects your tenant for emergencies. Smarter Archiving takes completed content out of SharePoint verifiably and frees storage. The two complement each other.
Where is the archived data?
In Azure Storage in your own subscription. We have no access unless you grant it.
What is archived?
The current files from the document libraries of a site, in their original format. Version histories, lists, pages and permissions are not archived. For old versions, there is version cleanup beforehand.
When is something deleted in SharePoint?
Only once every file of the plan is confirmed in the archive, and only in sites for which you chose deletion or replacement links. Files that have changed since the plan stay.
Who can open archived files?
People with the archive role, through the web interface or through the replacement links in SharePoint. Every download is checked against size and checksum.
Is the archive audit-proof?
Smarter Archiving proves for every file that the copy matches the original. It does not provide immutability in the sense of WORM or deletion locks; for that, the storage accounts in Azure can be complemented with immutability policies.
Does archiving run automatically?
It is started in the web interface, for one site or all active ones. Through events, it can be connected to your project closure.
Is Smarter Archiving available in the Azure Marketplace?
An offer in the Azure Marketplace is in preparation. Until then, you obtain Smarter Archiving directly from us, including setup in your subscription.
Further reading
SharePoint archiving in detail
The posts in this series look at requirements, technology and introduction.
A Customer-Controlled SharePoint Archive in Azure
Why Keepit and Microsoft 365 Backup remain valuable protection layers while a customer also required a directly controlled SharePoint archive copy in Azure.
Read postSharePoint Archiving: 7 Engineering Lessons
What we learned about discovery, retries, concurrency, integrity, and consistent evidence while building a customer-controlled SharePoint archive.
Read postArchiving SharePoint Projects: Acceptance and Rollout
How completed SharePoint projects are approved, archived in customer-controlled Azure, accepted, and rolled out safely.
Read postSharePoint: deleting old versions automatically to free up storage
Delete old versions in SharePoint Online with PowerShell and an Azure Function: driven by a list, app-only, with a time budget, log and dry run. With code.
Read postHow much storage do your completed projects take up?
We look at your storage metrics together and show you the Archive Workspace using an example.